By Tabora Bojang
The people of Sanyang are up in arms against the activities of a fish processing company called Nessin Fish Mill Company believed to be owned by a Lebanese- Chinese team. Villagers gathered at a tensed meeting on Sunday where they alleged that the company has no proper waste disposal system causing huge environmental pollution as well as employing foreign fishermen to feed its machines to the detriment of the local fishermen.
”If you go to the beach you will see massive fish dumping because once the company takes the capacity it needs, the rest is thrown into the sea or dumped on the beach,” said Yusupha Jobe, President of the local environment association.
The meeting called for the urgent intervention by government to regulate things before it gets out of hand. Meanwhile officials of President’s office visited the scene on a fact-finding mission.
The Standard contacted Lamin Komma, Senior Programme Officer Coastal and Marine Environment at the National Environment Agency, who confirmed that the NEA has got information about fish deaths along the Sanyang beach and the agency is verifying the circumstances behind the dumping.
“As part of our routine coastal exercises, we are embarking on a site visit tomorrow to verify what is happening,” he said. Officials of the company could not be reached for comments.
